Page 13 of Unspoken Ties

The two of us, armed with sponges and soap, spent the next hour meticulously scrubbing away at the chaos in the kitchen. The powerful scent of cleaning products filled the air as we tackled each sticky spot and greasy surface. We worked in tandem, a well-oiled machine, our movements complementing each other as we made quick work of the mess. By the time we finished, every dish was sparkling clean, and every crumbhad been swept away. The kitchen now gleamed with an aura of freshness and order, a stark contrast to its previous state. Exhausted but satisfied, we high-fived before collapsing onto the couch in victory.

“I can’t believe I did all that work and still didn’t get cookies,” she mumbled to herself.

“I can fix that for you.” I pulled out my phone and opened DoorDash. “Do you still want cookies, or a different dessert?”

“What? No. You don’t have to buy me dessert.”

“If you don’t tell me what you want, I suppose I’ll have to order one of everything,” I tilted my phone screen towards her so she could see me add each item to the cart.

“No, no, no! Alright. Chocolate chip cookies and banana bread please.”

“Done and done,” I said, tapping the order into my phone. A vibration signaled the order’s confirmation.

Liria looked at me, her face a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just cookies, Liria.”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “It’s not about the cookies, Ettore.” She paused, seemingly searching for the right words.

“It’s about you being... nice,” she continued, her eyes dropping from my gaze to her hands in her lap. There was a warm blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Is that so surprising?” I asked, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice.

Liria shook her head slightly, looking up again. “A bit... unexpected.”

“Well,” I said after a moment, “I suppose there are many facets to Ettore Moretti.”

She looked at me, her blue eyes wide and fixed on my face. Not with fear or apprehension, but with interest - a curiosity that endeared her to me even more.

“I’m starting to see that,” she murmured.

We sat there for a moment, lost in the comfortable silence between us. The ding from my phone announcing our dessert’s arrival broke it. I got up from the couch and went to fetch our treats, leaving Liria with her thoughts.

When I returned to the living room, Liria was standing by the window, gazing out at the cityscape. She turned at my entrance and gave me a small smile.

The lights of the city shone through the window behind her, creating a dazzling array of colors and shadows. Their glow enveloped her like a halo, giving her an otherworldly allure. As she moved towards me with such grace and poise, it was as if she were a divine being walking among mere mortals. She was a vision to behold; a goddess descended from the heavens to walk among us on this earthly plane.

I mentally slapped myself. Why was I having these thoughts? I had never obsessed over a woman in my life - they always begged for me. Not to mention Liria was almost half my age.

I tried to convince myself that her beauty was the only reason why she had such an impact on me. Eventually I would become accustomed to it and I could resume everyday life.

When she smiled at me as she grabbed a cookie, I hoped that day would come sooner rather than later.

Chapter seven

Liria

Icouldn’t bear the thought of another night tossing and turning on the cramped loveseat. The cushions were as hard and unforgiving as rocks, offering little comfort to my aching body. Despite my best efforts, a cold draft always seemed to find its way through the thin, threadbare blanket Ettore had given me.

As bad as it was, I sure as heck wasn’t sleeping in Ettore’s bed. I would sleep on a pile of burning coals before I shared a bed with that man.

My cheeks flushed as I thought back to our conversation about him inviting me into his bed. Well, technically, he was telling me he didn’t care if I did or not.

“And I sure as heck won’t,” I mumbled to myself.

“Talking to yourself?” I didn’t even realize that Ettore had emerged from his bedroom until I noticed him standing there, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Eep!”

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